Middlebrook is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

within the

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle A ...

of Bound Brook in Somerset County,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. It is named after the Middle Brook, a tributary of the

Raritan River Raritan River is a major river of New Jersey. Its watershed drains much of the mountainous area of the central part of the state, emptying into the Raritan Bay on the Atlantic Ocean. History Geologists assert that the lower Raritan provided t ...

, on the western side of the community. The early-18th-century

Old York Road Old York Road (originally York Road, with reference to New York) is a roadway that was built during the 18th century to connect Philadelphia with New York City. Through New Jersey it was built along the Raritan (Unami tribe) "Naraticong Trail", ...

, connecting Philadelphia to New York City, passed through here.

History

On May 4, 1681, a group of investors purchased from two Raritans, Konackama and Queromak, land bounded by the Raritan River, the Bound Brook, and the Middle Brook to the mountains for one hundred pounds, paid in goods. On September 25, 1683, Thomas Codrington, one of the original group, was apportioned 877 acres of this tract and built a house here, which he called Rackawackhana. After the Battle of Bound Brook on April 13, 1777, General

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

moved the Continental Army from its winter encampment at Morristown to the Middle Brook valley between the First and Second

Watchung Mountains The Watchung Mountains (once called the Blue Hills) are a group of three long low ridges of volcanic origin, between high, lying parallel to each other in northern New Jersey in the United States. The name is derived from the American Native Lena ...

, now called Washington Valley, protected by positions on the Middlebrook Heights, the First Watchung ridge north of Middlebrook. This

first Middlebrook encampment "Middlebrook encampment" may refer to one of two different seasonal stays of the Continental Army in central New Jersey near the Middlebrook in Bridgewater Township in Somerset County. They are usually differentiated by either the date of the encamp ...

lasted from May 28 to July 2, 1777.

Historic houses

The Harris Tavern, built 1700 at the intersection of West Main Street and Vosseller Avenue, was the first hotel in Bound Brook. During the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, it was known as the Middlebrook Hotel and was a favorite of army officers. Later it was known as the Fisher Hotel. The building has since been demolished. The Thomas Codrington house, built 1683 at the intersection of High Street and LaMonte Avenue, was the first house built in Somerset County.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Middlebrook include: *

Tunis Campbell Rev. Tunis Gulic Campbell Sr. (April 1, 1812 – December 4, 1891), called "the oldest and best known clergyman in the African Methodist Church", served as a voter registration organizer, Justice of the Peace, a delegate to the Georgia Constit ...

(1812–1891), successful black politician in the Reconstruction era

Gallery

File:Middle Brook - looking north from Talmage Avenue Bridge, Bound Brook, NJ.jpg, The namesake Middle Brook, on the western side of Middlebrook File:West Main Street, Bound Brook, NJ - looking north on Vosseller Avenue.jpg, Looking north toward the Middlebrook Heights along Vosseller Avenue from West Main Street

References

Bibliography

* * {{Somerset County, New Jersey Bound Brook, New Jersey Unincorporated communities in Somerset County, New Jersey Unincorporated communities in New Jersey